Chapter 1: Cancer to Crochet

My story of
surviving cancer and physical and mental illnesses.

Me supporting Relay for Life the year before I was diagnosed with cancer.

It was December 2011, and I was 35 years old. I was at the top of my game and living a great life. We were the perfect little family with a military dad, a special education teacher mom, a son, and a daughter. All we were missing was the picket fence (not that it’s my style). I had recently earned a Master’s degree in Developmental Psychology with research concentration in internalizing disorders (i.e., anxiety and depression). Using that background, I designed and implemented the positive behavior program at the middle school where I was employed. My co-workers were some of my best friends, and my students were basically my adopted children for 8 hours a day. Life was so damn good.

The Diagnosis

“We have a
problem.” That’s what the doctor told me
when he read the results of the biopsy. “You have breast cancer and it’s
aggressive.”, he said. We went into his old office where we discussed removing
the breasts, keeping the nipples or not, and other surgical options. What the hell was I about to go through? People keep their nipples, and where do they
put them? Before Christmas? I was
overwhelmed by the questions popping up in my mind. Little did I know my world would change
forever. I mean, everyone thinks they know what it’s like going through a
disease like that. However, we never truly know how we will handle anything
until it smacks us in the face (or boob).

This was taken a few days before my mastectomy.

Surgery

Fast forward (for your sake) to the surgery. I had a mastectomy on the side with the cancer. My doctor was very conservative and felt it was best to focus on the one breast. He removed it and all its glory (the nipple) along with 17 lymph nodes, three of which had tumors. A month later I was receiving chemo. Interestingly, I suffered many of the possible side effects of that awful stuff. My oncologist and I are almost to the point when we can giggle about it (almost). Teaching and chemo treatments weren’t something this girl’s body was going to do at the same time, so I had to take a leave of absence. It was such a difficult decision for me. Remember, I was in my element and making a difference.

I went through
a year of stuffing fuzzy socks in my bras (I needed that boob space
filled…thank you, middle school years. Ha!), chemo, and radiation. Sometimes, I
would take the socks out and tell people I was flashing them my boob or tell
them I could wear my boob on my foot (insert giggle with slight eye roll). Humor was extremely important for me and
those around me.

Seriously, it was the worst
year of my post-cancer survival, so I thought.

Thank you for reading. I
would love to hear from you via comments or email.

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I absolutely love being a hooker, and I hope you do too! Ha! This is a place to shop for handcrafted crochet and other yarn items for humans and homes. It's also a place for me to share the joy of yarn art with others. It's a little bit boho, a little farmhouse, a little modern, and a lot of style. Browse the shop, read a little, follow my socials, or send me a message. You don't have to be a hooker to be a friend!
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